Friday, February 26, 2010

I participated in the 2nd Annual Leadership in Capital Projects Forum in Austin this week and it was an excellent program. I've made dozens of presentations around the country over the past several years and this was the most diverse and engaged group of decision makers I've ever presented to outside of actual clients that hire Collaborative Construction to help the parties draft a collaborative or integrated agreement for a specific project.

There were public and private owners, contractors, designers - both architects and engineers, as well as software vendors and specialized consultants like Collaborative Construction at the event. I would highly recommend the event next year, or attendance at one of the regional events the group sponsors, to anyone interested in learning more about the leadership qualities required to effectively plan, design, build, construct, operate and maintain capital facilities or infrastructure.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Satellier Reports on Recovery of Building Industry, Positions for Growth in New World Economy

February 10, 2010 -- Leading global architecture, engineering, construction, and building owner (AECO) services provider Satellier is reporting upswings in project activity in key service areas and geographies, spurring an expansion of services in response to new opportunities for growth as the industry emerges from recession.

While geographically distinct markets have emerged, Satellier reports that one global trend underway is the transitioning to BIM from CAD, as AE firms seek to capitalize on the greater efficiencies and benefits afforded by BIM while keeping pace with the industry’s more sophisticated needs. Across markets, companies are also increasingly looking to leverage external resources to de-risk the recovery process, as building industry and design firms focus on rebuilding.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Collaborative Construction is proud to announce the creation of the International BUILT Association of America. As members of this LinkedIn Group know, Collaborative Construction has pioneered the use of Integrated Agreements to create, nurture and leverage trusted business relationships that enable Integrated Teams to expand the scope, reach and effectiveness of their combined resources. Membership in the BUILT Association will mark you and your organization as leaders and will enable you to leverage your relationship with other BUILT Members and win BUILT work.

The International BUILT Association is dedicated to improving the efficiency of planning, design, construction, and maintenance services on facilities and infrastructure projects globally. The mission is to facilitate formation of BUILT Teams capable of using Integrated Agreements, Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Lean Construction principles intelligently and effectively in an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) environment.

Charter Members of the BUILT Association will have the opportunity to participate in an innovative and exciting IPD Reality Series. This revolutionary web-based series will leverage the combined networking power of the participants’ social / business networking tools – such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Constant Contact, iContact, You Tube and similar programs – and will provide a global platform upon which BUILT Teams can display, develop and deploy their IPD skills.

Collaborative BIM Advocate members – both individuals and their organizations – have the opportunity to join BUILT as Charter Members for a combined fee of $500.00. Charter Members – both individuals and organizations – will have the opportunity to renew their Basic BUILT Memberships annually at the rate of $250 as an individual and $2,500 as an organization – with modest increases in those fees tied to inflation – into perpetuity. Charter Members will serve as leaders, innovators and visionaries as BUILT grows.

The BUILT Association’s first task will be to form BUILT Teams capable of completing a series IPD Pilot Projects. Once the initial BUILT Teams are formed BUILT Membership will be opened to non-team members, non-sponsors and non-members of Collaborative BIM Advocates. Individual annual memberships will cost $500.00 while corporate and institutional membership will cost between $5,000.00 and $10,000.00 annually, depending on the size of the organization.

Benefits will include access to training materials related to Integrated Agreements, IPD generally, BIM, and Lean Construction, a listing in the BUILT Directory and, most importantly, the opportunity to join forces with other BUILT Members to form BUILT Teams certified by BUILT which are capable of targeting IPD projects throughout the country and around the globe.

I am writing to personally invite each and every member of Collaborative BIM Advocates to join BUILT as a Charter Member, regardless of whether your or your organization are in a position to participate in or sponsor a Pilot IPD Project. Charter Members will enjoy leadership opportunities and lower membership costs that will not be available after the ten (10) Pilot IPD Projects are staffed with BUILT Teams.

Collaborative BIM Advocate members interested in forming, participating in and / or sponsoring a Pilot IPD Project should contact Collaborative Construction right away. Ten (10) Pilot IPD Projects will be selected and BUILT Teams associated with those projects will be formed on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Below is a link to the new BUILT website. As BUILT Membership grows the site will grow. Visit the site, print the BUILT Membership Brochure, fill out the application and send your check. I look forward to receiving BUILT Membership applications from each of you and to working with you to form BUILT Teams capable of completing Pilot IPD Projects in a BUILT environment.

Collaborative Construction has joined forces with Phi Cubed, an Initial Charter Member of the International BUILT Association, to launch a Strategic Alliance to Rebuild Haiti. The Alliance has formulated a Statement of Purpose and the Alliance's Philosophy is set forth below.

The Strategic Alliance to Rebuild Haiti (Alliance) – a collaborative coalition of world class leaders – is integrated under best of class standards related to the delivery of goods and services necessary for the relief, reconstruction, recovery and rebirth of Haiti.

A “Best for Haiti” philosophy is mandatory for all Alliance members. The goal of the Alliance is to maximize the value added contributions to tangible assets for the benefit of the Haitian people today and in the future.

We began by asking where should the Haitian people be 6 months, 5 years, 10, 20 or 30 years from now? Armed with a vision of a sustainable future for Haiti, we are formulating solutions and investments that provide immediate relief and position Haiti for long term sustainable recovery and rebirth.

Alliance solutions will, invariably, empower the Haitian people. Alliance members will deliver sustainable solutions that provide jobs to Haitians. Unskilled workers will become skilled workers and skilled workers will refine their existing skills and develop others.

Micro-lenders will nurture small businesses in Haiti while innovative professionals will help Haitians develop sustainable localized solutions. Experts in micro-energy production and sustainable energy solutions will share their knowledge. Waste water recycling, water treatment, and agricultural innovations will embolden Haitians to support themselves.

By leveraging their combined knowledge, skills, resources and networked relationships Alliance members will deliver amazing “Best for Haiti” solutions. We invite other innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders to join us!

To learn more contact James L. Salmon - at the numbers listed below - or contact Hector Camps, CEO of Phi Cubed. You can download and print a copy of the Alliance's Statement of Purpose instrument by clicking on this LINK.

About Us

James is President of Collaborative Construction Resources, (CCR) a company that empowers stakeholders in the U.S Construction Industry to utilize collaborative agreements, BIM and lean construction methods to deliver construction services more efficiently and productively. James is an experienced construction lawyer and he serves on both the National Building Information Model Standards (NBIMS) Project Committee and the Build SMART Alliance's Business Process Integration Task Team, (BPITT). Consumers of construction services want to see increased efficiency and productivity in the industry and James is working hard to make that happen!
James and his family live in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. You can contact James at 859-441-6033 or by email at James.Salmon [at sign] CollaborativeCR.com